Khader Adnan London Protest outside Parliament on 50th Day of Hunger Strike

inminds25 June 2015

A Vigil was held on 22nd June 2015 outside UK Parliament to demand freedom for Palestinian hunger striker Sheikh Khader Adnan on the 50th Day* of his hunger strike, and to demand an end to Israel's illegal practice of punitive Administrative Detention whereby Palestinian political prisoners are caged indefinitely without a charge or trial. The protest was organised by Inminds and as part of a global united solidarity for Khader Adnan it was twinned with a similar protest in Gaza being held on the same day at the same time outside the building of the International Red Cross, organised by the "Prisoner's Center for Studies" and the "Committee for the Defense of Prisoner Khader Adnan". Both protests in London and Gaza were coordinated to show the same 'United for Khader Adnan' displays in both English and Arabic.

Sheikh Khader Adnan is in critical condition, experiencing intermittent coma, his weight has dropped to a dangerous level and he is unable to stand or move , and his heart rate has dropped. The Israel Prison Service has forcibly transferred him to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where he is surrounded by three prison guards while his hand and leg are shackled to the hospital bed.

*Khader Adnan started his hunger strike around 6pm on 5th May 2015 according to his family.

United for Khader Adnan from London to Jerusalem

Speech - Khader Adnan

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Speech at London Protest outside Parliament demanding freedom for Khader Adnan, 22nd June 2015, London

We are here today outside the British Parliament to demand freedom for Palestinian political prisoner Sheikh Khader Adnan who has been on hunger strike for 50 days today to protest against Israel's illegal practice of punitive administrative detention where by thousands of Palestinians each year are caged by Israel indefinitely without charge, and without trial, on never ending rolling detention orders.

Father of 6 young children, Khader Adnan, a baker by trade, has spent over 6 years of his life in Israeli prisons without ever being charged with anything, he is currently on his10th administrative detention order!

His condition is critic, over the weekend there were reports, false reports, that he had died. He is still alive but is close to death, experiencing intermittent comas, his weight has dropped to a dangerous level and he is unable to stand or move , and his heart rate has dropped. The Israel Prison Service has forcibly transferred him to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where he is surrounded by prison guards while his hand and leg are shackled to the hospital bed.

I want to first explain who Khader Adnan is, that this isn't his first hunger strike. Sheikh Khader Adnan is known as the father of the hunger strike - the symbol of Palestinian resistance and steadfastness. In 2011, after being abducted by Israel and caged without charge, he won his freedom by launching a successful 66 day hunger strike - the longest in Palestinian history at the time. It inspired over 1600 other Palestinian prisoners to hunger strike. Since his release Sheikh Khader Adnan has been the voice of Palestinian political prisoners, ceaselessly defending their rights at every opportunity and thus is a thorn in the side of the occupation. Last year after Israels attack on Gaza soldiers rounded up 100s of Palestinians, abducting them and caged them without any charge. On Tuesday 8th July 2014 Israel again abducted Khader Adnan when he was returning home to share the Ramadan meal with his family near his home town of Arrabah near Jenin in the West Bank. Khader Adnan launched this current hunger strike after Israel issued a third administrative order against him in May 2015.

His mother says that "We discussed the issue before he was arrested again in July last year, I told him, please, if they arrest you again don’t go on hunger strike.’ He remained silent, but gave me a look that pierced my heart like a bullet — as if to ask me to respect his decision and not expect me to deprive him of the only weapon he would have.” Khader Adnan informed his wife and his father of his plan to go on hunger strike in case Israeli authorities were to renew his administrative detention.

His father explained "He’s not doing this because he wants to die and because he wants to hurt himself. On the contrary, he’s going through this because he loves life and believes that this is the only way to achieve freedom.” In a message from prison on day 30 of his hunger strike Khader Adnan wrote "I would like you to know that I am not engaged in a personal fight for freedom. My battle is that of all Palestinian detainees who are yearning for freedom and dignity.. Administrative detention is one of the most despicable policies our people have ever witnessed.. The Israeli jailers try to break us down, but we promise them with Allah's help and support and your solidarity that we will, God willing, win. This hunger strike continues until we, God willing, win our freedom!"

Israel fears such determination and resistance to their illegal occupation, that on day 42 of his hunger strike (14th June 2015) the Israeli cabinet approved a bill permitting the force-feeding of hunger strikers in Israeli prisons. Israel's Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan who led the bill, justified it by writing "Alongside attempts to boycott and delegitimize Israel, hunger strikes of terrorists in prisons have become a means to threaten Israel".

So Israel feels threatened by a man chained to his hospital bed.. dyeing.. they feel threatened by his hunger strike. The hunger strike is the last and only weapon a prisoner has left to protest against his illegal incarceration.

The bill to force-feed him, to take away his last weapon, now just needs approval from the Israeli parliament - the Knesset, before it becomes law.

The World Medical Association has described force-feeding of hunger-strikers as 'tantamount to torture'!

Physicians for Human Rights says the bill will ‘legalise torture and gross violations of medical ethics and international conventions’, noting that between 1970 and 1992 (when Israel permitted such force-feeding) five Palestinian prisoners died while being force-fed.

We ask our MPs to put pressure on the Israeli government to quash this torture bill, to respect the rights of prisoners to hunger strike. And we ask our MPs to put pressure on the Israeli government to end its illegal practice of punitive administrative detention. And we ask our Mps to put pressure on the Israeli government to free Sheikh Khader Adnan, and to free all 5000 Palestinian political prisoners that are languishing in Israeli dungeons today!

FREEDOM FOR KHADER ADNAN
FREEDOM FOR ALL PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS
FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE!

Speech - Global support for Khader Adnan

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Speech at London Protest outside Parliament demanding freedom for Khader Adnan, 22nd June 2015, London

I want to explain that this is just one of many protest around the world for Shiekh Khader Adnan. As we protest here in London outside the British Parliament, there is a protest in Gaza happening right now outside the building of the international red cross by our friends in the Prisoner's Center for Studies and our friends in the Committe For The Defense Of Prisoner Khader Adnan. We want to thank them for helping us with information to put this protest together.

A few days ago our friends in France were violently attacked by zionist thugs for holding a protest in solidarity with Khader Adnan. A femal activist was bombed in the face with a tear gas bomb, burning her face. Her defiant message to this protest today is that they will not be intimidated, they will go on to organise more protests to demand freedom for Khader Adnan starting on July 4th.

It follows the words of Khader Adnan's wife Randa who said "Those who believe in this cause should face the authorities and take to the streets, even if it meant arrest. Freedom is not without a price."

FREEDOM FOR KHADER ADNAN
FREEDOM FOR ALL PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS
FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE!

Speech - Administrative Detention

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Speech at London Protest outside Parliament demanding freedom for Khader Adnan, 22nd June 2015, London

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Khader Adnan is on hunger strike to protest against Israel' practice of Administrative detention. I want to explain what administrative detention is.

Administrative detention is a practice used by Israel to imprison Palestinians indefinitely without charge or trial. Prisoners are given rolling detention orders which can be anything from 1-6 months, renewable indefinitely. Such practice is against international law. For example administrative detainee Mazen Natsheh has been locked up cumulatively for nearly 10 years without charge or trial. Khader Adnan himself has in total been caged for over 6 years under 10 administrative detention orders without charge or trial.

Detention orders are based on so called "secret information" which never needs to be produced, either to the detainee nor their lawyer. Administrative detention is often used to arbitrarily jail Palestinians where there is no evidence for a trial. It is also used for punishment as in the case of 8 Palestinian MPs who are currently caged in Israeli dungeons to punish them for their political stance.

Israel has on average issued over 2000 detention orders every year (between 2007 and 2011). Today there are 450 administrative detainees. Most of them, like Khader Adnan, having been transferred from the West Bank into Israel in contravention of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, with their families being prevented from visiting them.

Administrative detention was originally created by the British, and they used a form of it called internment in Northern Ireland. So we are here outside the British Parliament to demand an end to administrative detention, we demand that Britain having created this problem , now help fix it by pressuring the Israeli government to stop administrative detention and release the prisoners back to their families.

Speech - Jafar Ezzedine joins the hunger strike

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Speech at London Protest outside Parliament demanding freedom for Khader Adnan, 22nd June 2015, London

In 2011 when Khader Adnan launched his first victorious hunger strike of 66 days, it was gradually joined by other prisoners.. intitially slowly then like an avalanche with over 1600 other Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. One of the first persons to join Khader Adnans hunger strike last time was Jafar Ezzedine.

Jafar Ezzedine is a father of 7 children. He couldnt complete his education, being repeatedly arrested and imprisoned by the occupation more than 7 times, so he works as a construction worker. His last hunger strike went on for 93 days before he won and Israel agreed not to renew his administrative detention order . On day 54 of his hunger strike he wrote

"Our open hunger strike is to protest the Intelligence and their policies, our goal is not just to gain our individual freedom but to end the practice of administrative detention, the pointed sword on the neck of the Palestinians.This is a battle in the fight for freedom and dignity despite all the continuing pain and torments that impair us, and despite all the pressure that we endure and is practiced against us by the Israeli Prison Service and Shabak to break our will from our steadfastness. However, the cowardly enemy will never undermine our steadfastness and our determination to achieve justice and freedom for all our imprisoned and hunger striking brothers, and the oppressed and those who were tortured by the fiery tormentors for decades.."

Well once again Jafar Ezzedine has joined Khadar Adnans hunger strike! He wrote

" Our Sheikh Khader Adnan, you will not remain alone, and be sure that I will not let you down and I will support you with the determination of the strong people.

My Beloved brother Behold, I will stay sticking to the covenant , and we are on a close date to victory inshAllah, I will feel no comfort till you win , I will not accept to touch the food till you touch it before me, and I will not break my hunger strike till I know you are okay and till you talk to me directly.

This is the legacy of what we were brought up on it, my beloved brother.. peace to you, to your sacrifices, to your will and peace for your pure soul."

FREEDOM FOR JAFAR EZZEDINE
FREEDOM FOR KHADER ADNAN
FREEDOM FOR ALL PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS
FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE!

"Everywhere we went (in Gaza) the same question was on every body's lips - 'You are here but where are the Arabs?' One little girl said to me 'where is this Arab world that they teach us about in school? Where is this Ummah that they talk to us about on Fridays? Why did they leave us alone?'. That's what she said to me, with tears in her eyes 'why did they leave us alone?' I had to turn my face away from her when she said it, and I'm not an Arab, I had to turn away.. I couldn't face her in the face of such a question.."